(CNN) - Former President Ronald Reagan's youngest son suggests in a new book that his father showed signs of Alzheimer's disease while he was in the White House.

In the book titled "My Father at 100," which is due out next week, Ron Reagan writes, "Three years into his first term as President … I was feeling the first shivers of concern that something beyond mellowing was affecting my father."FULL POST

Priebus remains largely unknown to Washington's political class but is now tasked with rebuilding the committee's damaged relationship with deep-pocketed GOP donors and raising hundreds of millions of dollars to compete with President Obama's re-election campaign.

(CNN) – The Senate Tea Party Caucus will convene for the first time January 27 at a meeting that will feature members of local Tea Party groups and Republican Senators Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

According to a statement, they will discuss spending proposals, options for balancing the budget, ending the deficit and limiting the size of government.FULL POST

(CNN) - Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain issued high praise for President Obama's Wednesday address that honored victims of the Arizona shootings.

In an op-ed set to publish in the Washington Post Sunday, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee said his former rival gave a "terrific speech" and echoed the president's sentiment that political discourse should be "more civil than it currently is."FULL POST

"I really thank you for the chairmanship of this party, for the two years that I have had and at this time I will step aside for others to lead," he said. "But in so doing I hope you all appreciate the legacy I leave despite the noise. Despite the difficulties, we won."FULL POST

(CNN) - The Republican National Committee is voting Friday to pick their next chairman. The winner must receive votes from the majority of the 168 members, and voting will continue until a candidate reaches that threshold, which in this case is 85.

Washington (CNN) - New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie will headline the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner in March, the group announced Friday.

In a statement, NRCC Chair Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said, "Governor Christie has become a highly regarded Republican since winning his gubernatorial race in 2009, and we are excited that he will be joining us in March. With his credentials and experience, his address will be of great value to our supporters as we continue to build on our historic gains for 2012."FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - A new national poll shows an improvement in how Americans see the direction of the country, and puts President Obama in better standing against potential 2012 rivals.

The McClatchy Newspapers-Marist poll said still just 41 percent of respondents think the country is headed in the right direction, with 47 saying it remains going in the wrong direction. But that compares to a Marist poll in December where 34 percent of Americans said right direction, and 58 said wrong directionFULL POST

Washington (CNN) – South Carolina Republicans are maneuvering to host a major party gathering in the weeks before the 2012 Iowa caucuses, a move that could force GOP presidential hopefuls to interrupt their last minute Midwest politicking to court activists down south.

Southern delegates to the Republican National Committee on Friday ratified Charleston, South Carolina as the site of the 2012 Southern Republican Leadership Conference.FULL POST